The capacity for self-regeneration of the adult heart is very limited, conventional therapies cannot solve the loss of cardiomyocytes in the infarcted heart leads to continuous ventricular remodeling. Cell transplantation therapy is emerging as a novel approach for myocardial repair over conventional therapies. Various types of cell transplantation have improved cardiac function and angiogenesis in animal models and clinical settings. The safety and feasibility of some clinical trials have been initiated. In this review, we summarize the advantages and limitations of different cell types proposed for cell transplantation in myocardial infarction and give an overview of the clinical trials using this novel therapeutic approach in patients with myocardial infarction.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of bicuspid aortic valve combined with thoracic aortic dilation. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 68 patients of bicuspid aortic valve combined with thoracic aortic dilation underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2010 and June 2014. There were 47 males and 21 females at age of 26-77(44.5±16.3) years. Different surgical treatments including Wheat procedure(n=22), aortic valve replacement+ascending aortoplasty(n=10), Bentall procedure(n=13), aortic valve replacement+ascending aortic replacement+right hemi aortic arch replacement(n=13), Bentall procedure+ascending aortic replacement+right hemi aortic arch replacement(n=8), Bentall procedure+ascending aortic replacement+total arch replacement+stented elephant trunk(n=2) were carried out according to the type. ResultsAll 68 patients underwent surgical treatment. The mortality in hospital is at 4.4%(3/68). The postoperative complications were neurological and mental complications(n=3), pneumonia(n=2), and exploratory thoracotomy(n=2). We followed up 63 patients for 6 months to 4 years. A total of 62 patients were well without reoperation except one death at the end of following-up 2 years. ConclusionBicuspid aortic valve combined with thoracic aortic dilation has diversiform clinical characteristics. The surgical treatment should be chosen according to the aortic valve and thoracic aortic lesion characteristics.
ObjectiveTo improve and assess the method of establishing myocardial infarction model in New Zealand rabbits. MethodsA total of 60 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups:the left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated in a LAD group (n=30); the left circumflex coronary artery was ligated in a LC group (n=30). Electrocardiogram (ECG), ultrasound cardiogram (UCG), hemodynamics and histology procedures were performed to detect the changes of cardiac structure and function after myocardial infarction induced by LAD and LC ligation. ResultsSuccess rate of the LC group was significantly higher than that in the LAD group (P < 0.01), but the survival rate in the LC group was slightly lower than the LAD group (P < 0.05); ECG within 24 h and 1 week after surgery showed that the average values of ST segment elevation in the LC group were significantly higher than that in the LAD group (P < 0.05); UCG and hemodynamics results showed cardiac function in the LAD group did not decrease significantly (P > 0.05). In contrast, cardiac function in the LC group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Histopathologic analysis showed that the area of myocardial infarction in the LC group was significantly larger than that in the LAD group (P < 0.01). ConclusionThe myocardial infarction induced by the left circumflex coronary artery ligation is more consistent than that induced by the left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, suggesting that the former is a more appropriate experimental model for evaluations.